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Yes, I had seen that article also.Thanks for the link and like usual it had me wondering....

I also bought the 200mcg, and started on it about two weeks ago. Will see what happens. Interestingly, there was this article from "The Body" It goes back to April of 2003 :

Selenium and HIVControversy remains over using selenium in people with HIV. Selenium is a toxic substance that gets spread into the environment through the burning of fossil fuel and other industrial processes. Trace amounts of it is often found in drinking water. Symptoms from consuming too much selenium include brittleness and loss of hair and nails, skin redness, blisters, vomiting, fatigue, neurological defects and damage to the liver and spleen. Trace amounts of selenium are in the foods we eat. At these low levels, selenium is essential for proper immune function. The US Recommended Daily Allowance of selenium (all ages and genders) is 55 micrograms (mcg). Levels are slightly higher for pregnant (60mcg) and lactating (70mcg) women. The Institute of Medicine has proposed that the maximum daily intake before causing toxic effects is roughly 400mcg for adults

I will try it for a little while... I have noticed a slight increase in fatigue lately, but no other symptoms as indicated above.

Interestingly, there was this article from "The Body" It goes back to April of 2003 :

Selenium and HIVControversy remains over using selenium in people with HIV. Selenium is a toxic substance that gets spread into the environment through the burning of fossil fuel and other industrial processes. Trace amounts of it is often found in drinking water. Symptoms from consuming too much selenium include brittleness and loss of hair and nails, skin redness, blisters, vomiting, fatigue, neurological defects and damage to the liver and spleen. Trace amounts of selenium are in the foods we eat. At these low levels, selenium is essential for proper immune function. The US Recommended Daily Allowance of selenium (all ages and genders) is 55 micrograms (mcg). Levels are slightly higher for pregnant (60mcg) and lactating (70mcg) women. The Institute of Medicine has proposed that the maximum daily intake before causing toxic effects is roughly 400mcg for adults

I've never heard of it being 'a toxic substance that gets spread into the environment through the burning of fossil fuel and other industrial processes'.

It's an element (on the periodic table) that is found in nature. My capsules indicate that theirs is derived from yeast.

"What is selenium? Selenium is a naturally occurring mineral element that is distributed widely in nature in most rocks and soils. In its pure form, it exists as metallic gray to black hexagonal crystals, but in nature it is usually combined with sulfide or with silver, copper, lead, and nickel minerals."

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iran's Deputy Health Minister said that SCP, the first Iranian drug for controlling the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is now at the stage of receiving the final approval.

Speaking to FNA here on Wednesday, Rasoul Dinarvand said that SCP is a natural drug and not a vaccine, and added that the drug strengthens the immunity system of the body and, thus, increases the resistance of the HIV-infected bodies against secondary infections.

He said the drug can boost the immunity level of the body (cd4) for a specific period of time, which is currently from 9 to 12 months, stating that the efficiency period of the drug may be increased even more in future.

The health official stressed, "SCP may not destroy HIV or clean the virus off the infected bodies, as no other drug has ever succeeded in doing so, because HIV is a hard resisting virus and it chooses to stay in those parts of the body where medicine can hardly reach."

Iran announced a week ago that its scientists have made a magic success by synthesizing a new drug which can control the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome know as the killer AIDS.

The drug is completely new to the world markets and laboratories and is a result of lengthy laboratory works and researches conducted by the Iranian scientists.

Officials have declared that the detailed information about the drug would soon be released during a magnificent ceremony to be thrown at the honor of the team of researchers who have brought more honor and glory for Iran and more hope for the world community.

The ceremony will be attended by the President, the Health Minister and a number of other ministers and officials as well as foreign ambassadors and diplomats residing in Iran.

The drug tests have shown that SCP can upgrade the immunity level of the body and play a vitally effective role in the treatment of AIDS patients, yet Iranian health officials insist that the drug should be considered as a secondary vaccine miraculously good for those infected with HIV, because it stops any further growth of the disease."

The drug is said to be containing the element of Selenium and free from side effects.

I started on a vitamin programme yesterday. I'm taking 200mcg of selenium as part of that. That's really interesting that brazil nuts contain so much selenium - from what Steve said (Hi Steve!) and from one of Ray's links (thanks Ray!) - didnt know that, I'm learning as I go along!

Does anyone know if I have a few brazil nuts (which I quite like) as well as taking my supplement, will I be getting too much selenium and is that a bad thing? Does it make a difference to dosage levels if we get our intake naturally through food or through supplements?

Melia

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I just had my 4th round of labs done and my numbers had declined some CD4 was 354 and VL 28,000. My doctor still recomends not taking meds at this time.

I read the study showing selenium increased CD4 and decreased VL so just started it about a week ago. Ironically, I've felt like I have had improved energy and I have seen no bad effects. I don't know if it's a coincidence or maybe it does help a bit. I'm gona continue since I didn't see any negative effects.

I remember there being a murder case where a woman was poisoned with selenium, but it wasn't from vitamins. Her ex husband had been aquiring it out of old transistor radios and putting it in her coffee. I think there is a dangerous form made with metals or lead or something that's toxic. At least I thought that is what he gave her.

Anyways, Walgreens had their vitamins on sale buy one, get one free so the 200mg/ 100 bottle was 7.99 and you got the 2nd one for free.

I am not a huge vitamin taker, but so far it seems like it might be a benefit to me.

The dietary supplement selenium can reduce HIV viral loads andincrease CD4+ T cell counts in HIV-positive people, according toa study published in the Jan. 22 issue of the Archives ofInternal Medicine, the Los Angeles Times reports (Chong, LosAngeles Times, 1/23). Selenium is a mineral found in many foodsand sold as a supplement for less than $10 per one-month supply.It helps regulate the thyroid and the immune system and createsantioxidants that protect the body from molecules that candamage cells, the Miami Herald reports. Previous studies havefound that HIV-positive people with low selenium levels are atan increased risk of a wide range of health conditions(Goldstein, Miami Herald, 1/23). For the study, Barry Hurwitz, aprofessor of psychology and medicine at the University of Miami,and colleagues randomly assigned 262 HIV-positive adults withnormal selenium levels to take either a placebo pill or a 200microgram capsule of high-selenium yeast for nine months,Reuters Health reports (Gale, Reuters Health, 1/22). Only 174 ofthe participants completed the nine-month follow-up period(Hurwitz et al., Archives of Internal Medicine, 1/22). Accordingto the Times, about two-thirds of the participants were takingantiretroviral drugs and about one-third of the participantswere not. The study, which was funded by NIH, found that for the50 participants who regularly took the selenium pills, HIV viralloads decreased an average of 10,000 viral particles permilliliter of blood, or by 12%, after nine months. Theresearchers also found an average CD4 increase of 30 cells permicroliter of blood among the participants who regularly tookselenium. According to Hurwitz, selenium had a positive effectamong participants on antiretrovirals regardless of which drugsthe participants were taking. Among the 83 participants in theplacebo group, viral loads increased by 10,000 to 20,000 viralparticles per milliliter of blood and CD4 cells decreased byabout 30 cells per microliter in the same time period, the studyfound. Forty-one participants were classified as "nonresponders"because they did not adhere to their selenium schedule orbecause of gastrointestinal problems that prevented them fromabsorbing the mineral, the Times reports. This group had thesame results as the placebo group, the study found.

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"What [selenium] appears to do is make [HIV] more docile, lessvirulent and less likely to replicate," Hurwitz said (LosAngeles Times, 1/23). He added that selenium is "a simple,inexpensive and safe adjunct therapy" (Miami Herald, 1/23).Jeffrey Blumberg, a nutrition professor at Tufts University,said that because selenium appears to be beneficial and to haveno negative side effects, it can be used in conjunction withtraditional therapies. Jeffrey Lennox, principle investigatorfor Emory University's HIV Clinical Trials Unit, said selenium'seffect appears to be smaller than a variation that can be seenin some people living with HIV/AIDS from week to week. Thesupplement likely does not have wide scale implications in theU.S. because of the availability of therapies that are aimed atreducing viral loads to undetectable levels, according toLennox. He added, "The conclusions are intriguing, but theydon't change current medical practice. In people not receivingoptimum therapy, selenium might be a benefit." According to theTimes, the researchers are analyzing data on selenium's effectsbeyond nine months, and Hurwitz said the effects likely are longlasting (Los Angeles Times, 1/23). The study is availableonline.

Another thank you to Bimazek. I checked my vitamins and noticed (to my surprise) only 50mg of selenium per daily dose. English grown food is low in selenium so I've now got special selenium tablets to ensure I get my RDA!

Selenium is a good micro-nutrientI definitely noticed a difference when I started eating foods high in Selenium.I used to take the suppliments but they seemed to be overkill on the RDA scale.I used to suffer insomnia because of it. Today though I get it all fresh.On a normal day I normally eat an egg, spinach and a few nuts... even in one dishMore than enough selenium for one day.I recon you can't go wrong with it.